Windows Distribution

neu builder supports the NSIS (nsis) packaging target for Windows. It generates a Windows installer with an .exe extension using NSIS (Nullsoft Scriptable Install System).

The packaging configuration is defined under the cli.builder.windows.targets section of neutralino.config.json.

Basic Commands

The basic syntax for the Windows builder is:

neu builder <target> [--arch]

For the NSIS target:

neu builder nsis
neu builder nsis --x64
neu builder nsis --ia32

The first argument specifies the packaging target. The optional architecture flag selects the CPU architecture to package. If no architecture is provided, the builder uses the first architecture listed in the target's arch configuration.

Configuration

Each target is defined as an object inside the targets array. The following example shows a complete nsis target using every supported option:

{
  "applicationId": "com.example.myapp",
  "applicationName": "My First Builder App",
  "version": "1.0.0",

  "cli": {
    "builder": {
      "windows": {
        "targets": [
          {
            "target": "nsis",
            "arch": ["x64", "ia32"],
            "icon": "./installerassets/windows/nsis/app.ico",
            "sidebarImage": "./installerassets/windows/nsis/sidebar.bmp",
            "headerImage": "./installerassets/windows/nsis/header.bmp",
            "license": "./installerassets/LICENSE.txt",
            "output": "./dist/windows"
          }
        ]
      }
    }
  }
}

Application Metadata

applicationId, applicationName, and version are top-level properties of neutralino.config.json. They are shared by all build targets, so they only need to be specified once.

• applicationId - a unique identifier for the application, such as com.example.myapp.
• applicationName - the name of the application used by the builder when generating the package.
• version - the version of the application included in the generated package metadata.

Configuration Options

Option	Description
target	Specifies the packaging target. Must be nsis.
arch	List of CPU architectures for which an installer can be generated.
icon	Path to the installer icon in .ico format.
sidebarImage	Path to the image displayed in the sidebar of the installer.
headerImage	Path to the image displayed in the header of the installer.
license	Path to the application's license file.
output	Directory where the generated installer is placed.

Option Reference

Each option below is added to a target object inside cli.builder.windows.targets. The snippets show only the relevant part of the target definition.

Architecture

The arch option specifies the CPU architectures supported by the target:

{
  "target": "nsis",
  "arch": ["x64", "ia32"]
}

Select an architecture from the command line:

neu builder nsis --x64
neu builder nsis --ia32

When no architecture flag is given, the first entry of the arch array is used. With the example above, neu builder nsis builds an x64 installer.

Installer Icon

The icon option specifies the .ico file used by the installer:

{
  "target": "nsis",
  "icon": "./installerassets/windows/nsis/app.ico"
}

Sidebar Image

The sidebarImage option specifies the image displayed in the sidebar of the installer:

{
  "target": "nsis",
  "sidebarImage": "./installerassets/windows/nsis/sidebar.bmp"
}

The image should be provided in BMP format.

Header Image

The headerImage option specifies the image displayed in the header of the installer:

{
  "target": "nsis",
  "headerImage": "./installerassets/windows/nsis/header.bmp"
}

The image should be provided in BMP format.

License

The license option specifies the license file used by the installer:

{
  "target": "nsis",
  "license": "./installerassets/LICENSE.txt"
}

The license file can be shared between different installer targets if required.

Output Directory

The output option specifies where the generated installer is placed:

{
  "target": "nsis",
  "output": "./dist/windows"
}

The example above produces the installer under:

dist/
└── windows/

If output is omitted, the package is written to the default dist/build-output directory.

Installer Assets

Windows-specific installer assets are referenced from the nsis target configuration and can be organized as follows:

installerassets/
├── LICENSE.txt
└── windows/
    └── nsis/
        ├── app.ico
        ├── sidebar.bmp
        └── header.bmp

Building

Run:

neu builder nsis

Or select an architecture:

neu builder nsis --x64

The resulting installer is placed in the location specified by the output option (see Output Directory).